a holiday film like no other
i am making a film. it is called cups being knocked off of
tables. it will be about 15 minutes long. it will consist entirely of
cups being knocked off of tables. it will be a holiday film. the challenge
will be to make this theme
interesting (if not engrossing) for that long a period of time.
At 2-5 seconds per shot, I will need 180 - 450 shots of cups being knocked
off of tables. Frankly, I don't have that many ideas, especially since I
want each shot to be distinct and I want to get this done by next
christmas. Besides, my original collaborator has been sent to Uruguay
and I don't know when he's coming back.
A friend of mine had an idea to put up a page describing this project, in
an
effort to solicit video clips for it. If you would like to participate,
here are the rules regarding submissions:
- the only artistic boundaries are in the title: You must use a
CUP (or cups), not a glass, a mug, a stein, a pitcher etc. You must
use a TABLE (or tables), not a shelf, a counter, a couch, a
breakfast nook, a stool, a window sill, a dashboard, etc. You must
KNOCK the cup(s) off, so you can't destroy the cup or just tip it
over. The cup(s) must start out in tact on the table, an object or
object(s) (including human limbs such as your hand) comes into contact
with the cup, and this force causes the cup to leave the table surface
entirely and fall, whilst still in tact.
- i need video, not audio. i will be using assorted christmas music in
the background, unless I find someone to write christmas music, in which
case I will be able to submit the finished product to competitions. I
don't have the budget to license christmas music.
- i'd like to see a lot of guerilla filmmaking. for example, go get a
folding table
and set up in front of some famous or weird public place. put the cup
on the table, turn the camera on, throw your hat at the cup to knock it
off. You can have multiple cups or multiple tables. You can decorate
the cups and/or the tables (hint: i'm not going for a G rating). The
cups can be full or empty. The cups can land on anything, as long as it
is below the table surface (a knocking OFF rather than a knocking UP). THE
ONLY CONSTANTS ARE OUTLINED IN THE FIRST BULLET.
- FORMATS: I can take DV AVI, MS AVI, Quicktime,
MPEG1,
MPEG2. If you can't work it out so I can download your clip somehow,
contact me and we'll work something out (perhaps you can mail me a cd or
something). However you get your footage to me, include some indication of
anything you would want put in the credits, like the names/handles of
those who worked on it. Once I've got your clip, I reserve the right to
edit it (crop, speed up, slow down etc.) to fit with the rest of the
film.
- ROYALTIES: There are none. No one, especially myself, is going
to make one thin dime out of this. It is purely for art's sake.
- QUESTIONS: andy@martnet.com, subject "cups being knocked off
tables"
Existing Trailers (more samples to follow)
- Trailer 1 - LAN RealVideo
- Trailer 2 - Windows Media Video